–Seeks explanation from the Presidency
By our Staff Writer
Respected Liberian Journalist Jonathan Paye-Layleh has been compelled to constantly look over his shoulders and be unusually extra keen on his personal security in the last 48 hours, since President George Weah publically accused him of being against him.
“The president accused me in a live broadcast that when he was working for human rights in Liberia before becoming president, I was one person against him,” says Paye-Layleh who has for decades been reporting for the BBC and the Associated Press news agency (AP).
On Thursday at a joint news conference with the visiting UN Deputy Secretary General, Madam Amina Mohammed, President Weah in response to a question posed by Jonathan Paye-layleh.
When Jonathan asked about Human Rights Watch’s call on him address justice for war crimes during Liberia’s civil war, the Liberian leader said in a serious tone: “When I was working for human rights in Liberia, you were one person that has been against me.”
Although the 51-year-old Liberian leader and Standard Bearer of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) did not elaborate, Journalist Paye-layleh told local radio stations at the weekend that it was the fourth time President Weah has attacked him for allegedly being against him.
This, the one-time Daily Observer newspaper says has claimed his serious concern, prompting him to request details from the Presidency outlining the acts and instances where he has demonstrated dislike or hatred for President Weah over the years.
“All that I am asking the media community to do is to seek some explanation from the office of the president; such a statement from a populist and popular president has far-reaching impacts; you can never tell what this would mean to Mr. President’s tens of thousands of supporters some of whom are too young to be able to analyse issues. I have asked the Press Union of Liberia and the entire media community to seek an explanation from Mr. President,” Journalist Paye-layleh says in a press release issued Saturday.
The President of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL), Mr. Charles Coffey told a local radio in Monrovia on Saturday that President Weah’s utterance has claimed the serious attention of the Union.
A day after his attack on Journalist Paye-layleh, President George Manneh Weah cut the ribbon to the broadcast building housing the outgoing UNMIL peacekeeping mission, which is handing over the UN radio to ECOWAS, where he assured Liberians of his administration’s continued support to press freedom.
President Weah added that the Liberian government supports the Table Mountain Declaration; a key instrument for press freedom and free speech, which was signed by his predecessor, former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in 2012.
“We believe, no person should be arrested, intimidated or harassed for freely expressing their opinions on any subject”, he said.
BELOW FULL TEXT OF PAYE-LAYLEH’S STATEMENT:
PRESS RELEASE
“On Thursday, March 22, the United Nations Deputy Secretary General, Amina J. Mohammed, was visiting Liberia and when she and President Weah were taking questions from reporters in the midst of dignitaries, I asked the visitor if the UN was willing to support efforts in Liberia to set up a war crimes court like it did in Sierra Leone; and in the same question I asked President Weah if he too was willing to allow such a process in Liberia because Human Rights Watch had asked him to create an avenue for victims of the Liberian wars to face their alleged perpetrators ; in answering the question, the president accused me in a live broadcast that when he was working for human rights in Liberia before becoming president, I was one person against him. The audio is attached.
All that I am asking the media community to do is to seek some explanation from the office of the president; such a statement from a populist and popular president has far-reaching impacts; you can never tell what this would mean to Mr. President’s tens of thousands of supporters some of whom are too young to be able to analyse issues. I have asked the Press Union of Liberia and the entire media community to seek an explanation from Mr. President.
I have never had any confrontation with Mr. President even before he became president; we all have instead given promotion to all that he has done, as footballer, former footballer and as a politician; he was never in any human rights work as far as i know and even if he was in any human right struggle, i could never have been against him for working for human rights in Liberia. I think a clear explanation from the President or his office —- citing instances —– will give an insight into what the allegations are. When a president says an individual is or was against him, it means a lot. Attached is the president’s voice.”
Thanks for your attention.
Jonathan